Shape of urine can indicate prostate issues

The characteristic shape of a man's urine can help diagnose urinary problems

2012-10-17

(Press-News.org) Scientists at Queen Mary, University of London have discovered that the characteristic shape of a man's urine stream could be used to help diagnose urinary problems.

The research, published in PLOS One today (16 October) is the first study to analyse the specific pattern a man's urine makes and whether it could be used to detect prostate problems.

Co-author Dr Martin Knight from Queen Mary's School of Engineering and Materials Science explained: "The characteristic shape is due to the surface tension in the urine and the elliptical shape of the urethra.

"The computer model matched perfectly to experiments in the laboratory and also with video data of human volunteers. There was an excellent correlation between the shape of the urine stream and the urine flow rate."

The medical engineers at Queen Mary used 60 healthy volunteers and 60 patients to test whether self-measurement of the shape of the urine stream could be used to predict maximum urine flow rate.

They found that a simple measurement of the characteristic shape of the flow pattern could accurately predict the maximum urine flow rate; important in the diagnosis of urinary problems such as those associated with prostate enlargement.

According to Prostate Cancer UK, about four out of every ten men over the age of 50 (40 per cent) and three out of four men in their 70s (75 per cent) have urinary symptoms that may be caused by an enlarged prostate.

Dr Knight said: "This research began as a student project when a team of urologists asked Queen Mary to come up with a simple non-invasive way of measuring urine flow rate that could be easily used at home where patient's urine flow rates are likely to be more typical than when urinating in hospital.

"The current techniques, although very accurate, are difficult or expensive to use reliably outside of the clinic. This new approach may therefore represent a useful solution to this important medical engineering problem, allowing men to easily monitor their urine flow rate."

### END

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

New findings illuminate basis in brain for social decisions, reactions

2012-10-17

NEW ORLEANS — New insights into the wiring and firing of the "social brain" in humans and primates reveals the brain areas important in altruistic motives and behavior, and the brain regions that respond to the pain of discrimination. The findings were presented at Neuroscience 2012, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world's largest source of emerging news about brain science and health. The social brain consists of the structures and circuits that help people understand others' intentions, beliefs, and desires, and how to behave appropriately. ...

This is your brain on food: Studies reveal how diet affects brain functions

2012-10-17

NEW ORLEANS — Studies released today explore the neurological component of dietary disorders, uncovering evidence that the brain's biological mechanisms may contribute to significant public health challenges — obesity, diabetes, binge eating, and the allure of the high-calorie meal. The findings were presented at Neuroscience 2012, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world's largest source of emerging news about brain science and health. Scientists are ultimately searching for new ways to treat diet-related disorders while raising awareness that ...

Findings reveal brain mechanisms at work during sleep

2012-10-17

NEW ORLEANS — New findings presented today report the important role sleep plays, and the brain mechanisms at work as sleep shapes memory, learning, and behavior. The findings were presented at Neuroscience 2012, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world's largest source of emerging news about brain science and health. One in five American adults show signs of chronic sleep deprivation, making the condition a widespread public health problem. Sleeplessness is related to health issues such as obesity, cardiovascular problems, and memory problems. Today's ...

Foot, knee and hip pain a problem in obese children

2012-10-17

Pain in the lower extremities - feet, ankles, knees and hips - contributes to both poor physical function and a reduced quality of life in obese children, according to a new study by Dr. Sharon Bout-Tabaku and colleagues, from Nationwide Children's Hospital and The Ohio State University in the US. Their work shows that obese children with lower extremity pain have worse physical function and poorer psychological health than obese children without lower extremity pain. Their findings appear online in Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research®, published by Springer. Obese ...

Reprogramming cell identity in the pituitary gland

2012-10-17

A team of researchers at the IRCM, supervised by Dr. Jacques Drouin, reprogrammed the identity of cells in the pituitary gland and identified critical mechanisms of epigenetic cell programming. This important discovery, published yesterday by the scientific journal Genes & Development, could eventually lead to new pharmacological targets for the treatment of Cushing's disease. Dr. Drouin's team studies the pituitary gland, which is the master gland located at the base of the skull that secretes hormones to control all other glands of the endocrine system. Disruption ...

New diabetes screening guidelines released

2012-10-17

OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA — Routine screening for type 2 diabetes in adults at low and moderate risk is not recommended, although it is recommended for people at high and very high risk of the disease, state new diabetes screening guidelines published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) http://www.cmaj.ca/content/184/15/1687.full. The guidelines suggest using a risk calculator and then screening based on the predicted risk of diabetes. "These new guidelines bring precision and convenience with web-based risk calculators and nonfasting A1C to diabetes screening," ...

Marriage, education can help improve well-being of adults abused as children

2012-10-17

Researchers investigating the long-term consequences of child abuse have identified some protective factors that can improve the health of victims during their adulthood. Men and women in their 30s who had been abused or neglected as children reported worse mental and physical health than their non-abused peers. But being married or having graduated from high school buffered the severity of their symptoms. The researchers also found that adults who experienced child abuse reported less happiness and self-esteem, more anger and other psychological damage, indicating ...

Fostering tomorrow's scientific breakthroughs: New American Chemical Society video

2012-10-17

WASHINGTON, Oct. 16, 2012 — A new episode in the American Chemical Society's (ACS') popular Prized Science video series features a virtuoso in teaching the next generation of scientists, who must discover tomorrow's life-saving medicines and new fuels and help solve other global challenges. The videos from the world's largest scientific society are available at www.acs.org/PrizedScience and by request on DVD. Titled Prized Science: How the Science Behind American Chemical Society Awards Impacts Your Life, the fourth episode of the 2012 series features the work of Diane ...

Physics explains how sickling cells make people sick

2012-10-17

PHILADELPHIA (October 16, 2012)— Researchers at Drexel University have identified the physical forces in red blood cells and blood vessels underlying the painful symptoms of sickle cell disease. Their experiment, the first to answer a scientific question about sickle cell disease using microfluidics engineering methods, may help future researchers better determine who is at greatest risk of harm from the disease. They report their findings in Cell Press's Biophysical Journal today. Capillary Blockage Conundrum Like many scientific questions, this discovery began with ...

New study sheds new light on the progression and invasiveness of ductal breast cancer

2012-10-17

Philadelphia, PA, October 16, 2012 – Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is considered a precursor lesion for invasive breast cancer if untreated, and is found in approximately 45% of patients with invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). Patients with DCIS only (not accompanied by invasive disease) have a 5-year-survival of nearly 100%, compared to 89% for all stages of invasive breast cancer (24% for patients with distant metastasis). A new study has found that despite an enormous degree of intercellular heterogeneity in both DCIS and IDC, the evolution from noninvasive to invasive ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

New species of tiny pumpkin toadlet discovered in Brazil highlights need for conservation in the mountain forests of Serra do Quiriri

Reciprocity matters--people were more supportive of climate policies in their country if they believed other countries were making significant efforts themselves